It IS a new phone. Virtually everything in the phone is new except for the case and screen.

Funny how if Apple focuses on outside appearances, you are the first to claim that people who buy Apple products are shallow and only concerned about appearances. But if Apple completely redesigns the product and improves almost everything except the external appearance, you're STILL complaining.

"I'm way over my head when it comes to technical issues like this"Gatorguy 5/31/13

I love Apple but I'm not blindly in love with them like some of the people here that are getting offended people are disappointed. The iPhone 4 has been out a long time for a smart phone. A boost in speed and better camera??? What a bummer. Sorry Apple, but I'm not biting on this one. I really wanted a bigger screen...even if it was just a little bigger.

Bigger screen means either blurrier images (which is unacceptable) or re-writing every App to take advantage of the size, or resizing like iPhone Apps do on the iPad.

I don't get why people are upset about the screen - Bigger screens either mean less pixel density or bigger resolution. Apps are not going to be rewritten for this yet.

Apple made the right call, if it is a little deflating after some of the lead up predictions. But that's all they were.

I'll be replacing my 3gs with iPhone 4s next Friday, and that makes me quite happy.

I agree. Sure, people were hoping for a bigger screen but does that really improve the phone. Really. Not in my opinion... a bigger screen does not improve the experience for me. Improved reliability and improved performance... that's all I wanted.

What is possibly good about a "world phone" as long as the phone is forever locked to a single carrier, even after contract? I guess if you have Verizon and go to europe, verizon could contract with another carrier to provide you with exorbitantly expensive coverage there. It seems to me the only thing good about this is that is simplifies Apple's manufacturing. This is not much of a feature IMHO unless they sell unlocked versions or will unlock after contract.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Apple's newest smartphone, the iPhone 4S, is a world phone powered by the company's speedy A5 processor, and features a new antenna design that can allow file transfers up to twice as fast as its predecessor, as well as voice recognition functionality for a new handsfree experience.

The new iPhone 4S is a "world phone," meaning it is compatible with both CDMA and GSM networks. Apple will not need to build two different models to be compatible with different carriers like AT&T and Verizon in the U.S., and Sprint has also been officially added as a carrier partner.

Apple has also expanded the iPhone lineup with a new 64GB model on the high-end, selling for $399 with a service contract. The 32GB and 16GB models remain priced at $299 and $199, respectively.

"iPhone 4S plus iOS 5 plus iCloud is a breakthrough combination that makes the iPhone 4S the best iPhone ever," said Philip Schiller, Apples senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "While our competitors try to imitate iPhone with a checklist of features, only iPhone can deliver these breakthrough innovations that work seamlessly together."

One of the main selling points of the iPhone 4S is the inclusion of Siri, personal assistant software that Apple purchased last year. With Siri, natural language can be used to access information or accomplish tasks.

In one example shown at Tuesday's keynote, the query "What's the weather like today?" led to a forecast being provided via the iPhone. The Siri functionality is built into iOS 5 on the new iPhone 4S.

Apple said Siri is also smart about using the personal information users allow it to access. For example, telling Siri Remind me to call Mom when I get home it can find Mom in an address book, or ask Siri Whats the traffic like around here? and it can figure out where here is based on the current location.

Siri helps make calls, send text messages or email, schedule meetings and reminders, make notes, search the Internet, find local businesses, get directions and more. Users can also get answers, find facts and even perform complex calculations just by asking.

The new iPhone 4S will launch in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., France, Germany and Japan on Oct. 14. It will be the fastest iPhone roll-out Apple has ever had.

A more exhaustive list of features of the new handset is included below:
The A5 is a dual-core chip that allows CPU speeds up to twice as fast as the iPhone 4
It also features dual-core graphics processing that is up to seven times faster
The iPhone 4S has increased battery life up to 8 hours.
A new wireless system in the iPhone 4S allows the handset to intelligently switch between two antennas to send and receive data, improving call quality.
With its new system, Apple says the iPhone 4S achieves maximum theoretical download speeds of 14.4Mbps.
Apple said these speeds are competitive with current 4G networks.
The iPhone 4S also sports an 8-megapixel sensor for improved picture taking.
A new illuminated sensor gets 73 percent more light than the one found in the iPhone 4, and does it a third faster.
A high-end IR filter allows for greater accuracy and uniformity, while the handset also offers industry-leading quickness in snapping a photo.
The new camera will also shoot full-high-definition 1080p video, and will feature real-time video image stabilization and temporal noise reduction.
In one demo, Apple exec Scott Forstall asked the iPhone 4S to find a Greek restaurant in Palo Alto, Calif. The built-in Siri software returned a list of five restaurants sorted by rating.
Siri can also read information to users. In one example, the software read a list of notifications from the iPhone 4S.
The Siri system can also be utilized to make calendar appointments. It will even check if a user's schedule is free when setting up an appointment, and notify them of potential conflicts.
Information from Wikipedia and Wolfram Alpha can also be accessed through voice commands in Siri.
In another demonstration, Forstall asked Siri how long until Christmas. The "personal assistant" software responded: "82 days."
Siri also does dictation, as a microphone icon will appear anytime there is a keyboard on the screen. By tapping the microphone, users can speak rather than type.
Siri will come with built-in support for English, French and German. The software will be beta at launch, with more languages and services to be added over time.

Really? Because my Evo consistently lasts a day and half without needing a charge, and still goes a full day when I'm using 4G to surf the web. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the iPhone 4S will continue the trend of amazing battery life, but you did NOT return the Evo after 3 days because you never purchased one. I'm not sure why you would need more than a day of battery life to be quite honest.

On that note: For the idiots claiming this isn't a great upgrade, it is. Apple has never been a "bleeding edge technology" company.They've consistently been an "optimize the current technology so it runs better than bleeding edge" and that's exactly what they've given.

With the huge number of iPhone units being manufactured these days, keeping the same iPhone4 form factor with only minor tweaks will probably keep their supply chain in good order. Imagine a new design + iPhone4 coming out of Foxconn including iPads... I guess they need more time as they get bigger and bigger and sell in huge volumes.

Would have welcomed a bigger screen on the same design though that's for sure. Hope the home button doesn't go to shit after 9 months of use anymore. The Camera, A5 chip, graphics and Siri doesn't justify for an upgrade for me unfortunately. I think iOS5 will keep me happy for another year until iPhone5

Well, pricing is still set to be talked about. Maybe this fail of a phone will only be $399 out of contract. Then it might be appetizing again, for no other reason.

edit: nevermind. $199 cheapest on 16GB. "64GB iPhone finally". REALLY? You can get infinite on Android, and we are supposed to be thrilled with 64GB? I thought iCloud was supposed to make the need for phone space moot anyways.

Amazing - you draw a line in the sand; Apple slams through it - and somehow you still turn that into a fail by Apple!

As for who wants 64GB - well, a lot of people - especially all those who were whining on here a few days ago about the iPod Classic going away...

YES. The SIXTH iPhone running iOS SIX and with an ASIX chip will be out next October and be called the iPhone 5.

I think if they add LTE (and perhaps WiMAX) they might call it the iPhone 4G.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kotatsu

So after all this time we get a faster iPhone 4. Wow. Maybe the iPhone hardware team we're on an extended break or something, as this is incredibly lazy stuff.

Did you not expect a faster 5th generation iPhone? That's exactly I have expected every year. I don't expect a new casing every year, but I have to ask would you want a much improved internal components with the same casing or a new casing with last year's internals? Why does a new casing really matter that much to people when the phone has so many more capabilities from the improved internals? Does a new casing really define groundbreaking?

PS: So much for the asshats that said the iPhone 4's external antenna design was a complete failure that they'd 1) recall every device, 2) change up the design after the free case give away was over, change it up mid-cycle. Looks like the external antenna design will be staying at least 2 full years. How about them Apples?!

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

Makes sense. This does seem kind of lazy for an 18-month wait. I'll probably end up buying one anyway though.

I have to replace my phone now. Good news for me. I'll just renew and rock another 3GS (FREE!!!) for another year and then renew again next year when the iPhone 5 comes out. I can save that money to buy a Zune HD and iPod Classic.

Yet everyone is whining "we didn't get anything new - just a faster iPhone). So do you use your phone to make calls or access the internet - or do you spend all your time staring at the case? It's funny that it's the Apple haters who are spending the most time focusing on the package rather than what's inside.

It's a great update - whether they called it iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 or Swiss Cheese.

The iPhone 4 design is CLASSIC. Look at all the imitators. At just over 1 year old, it's design is too early to replace. Apple did just what I thought they would do for this iteration...up the hardware specs, and a major OS upgrade. Next year when the newly designed iPhone 5 comes out, iOS 6 won't be as compelling but people will want the new iPhone 5 and that will drive sales. I think this will be their release cycle going foward. I don't think they would achieve their ROI, if they released a major OS upgrade AND major product re-design each year.